The 1200GS will ride over the Escape Route but then head to Ballaratt unless he is feeling adventurous and wants to ride over Mengel Pass, probably with spotters. A 1200GS can ride over Mengle, depending on rider skills going west to east and then the road isn't that hard all the way to Furnace Creek.

Don't plan to take the GS over Echo but plan for it to ride to Rhyolite and Titus Canyon.

We will split up on some of these sections. The other bikes are: DRZ400S, dual sported XR650R & KLX250 and KTM525EXC.

Similarly interested in conditions along Saline Valley road, over Hunter Mountain, Hidden Valley and around the Race Track to Teakettle Junction to the crater. Is it better (easier) to ride on the Eastern side (Hunter Mountain Rd) or the Race Track, or follow Saline Valley Rd along the West of the Race Track along Lippencot Mine?

What is that road like generally for two GS Adv's and two city slickers with nothing better to do?

The road from Ubehebe crater to the Race Track is very doable.

Any feedback will be appreciated.

Thank you.

.

Saline Valley Road between the North and South passes is an easy ride but the North and South passes, that are the book ends for this road, are currently closed because of 3 foot snow drifts.

Hunter Mountain road is an easy ride except for a 100 yard section of deep silt a few miles south of Teakettle Junction. Hunter Mtn road is currently closed because of snow.

Race Track Road from Ubehebe Crater to The Race Track is easy. Just be careful not to ride too fast because there are flat rocks with sharp that your front tire can kick up and turn on their side and then your rear tire goes over it and slices your rear tire.

Race Track road is easier to ride then Hunter Mtn rd only because of the silt on Hunter Mtn road.

Lippencott Mine road is much easier going down, east to west, than riding up. I did it on an R1200GSA with TKC knobbies aired down to 20 psi riding west to east but it was difficult in sections with not much margin for error.

I haven't ridden North Pass yet but there are two sections, each about 75 yards long, on the South Pass that have ice in the winter. Once the ice melts, South Pass is easy.

I'd like to hear from anyone who has recently ridden the Escape Route from Trona to Goler Wash.

There is a lake bed that you either have to ride through or around between the Escape Route and Goler Wash. I have only ridden this route twice and both times the lake bed was dry and I went right through.

This lake bed is most likely under water at this time and I would like to know if I can ride around the water to the south and then connect with Wingate Road and Goler Wash.

Ran with Travel Toad and crew on the Dash to Ballarat ride last year....

We didn't cross the lake bed, instead headed North on the West side of the Valley and it will hit the main road to Ballarat. Might take a little longer, but if you can't cross the lake bed, you'll have an alternate route.

Ran with Travel Toad and crew on the Dash to Ballarat ride last year....

We didn't cross the lake bed, instead headed North on the West side of the Valley and it will hit the main road to Ballarat. Might take a little longer, but if you can't cross the lake bed, you'll have an alternate route.

Thanks Vern. Good to know what my options will be.

If anyone took a southerly route around the lake bed, I'd like to hear from them as well. It is good to know what the options are to get across the lakebed this time of year.

If anyone took a southerly route around the lake bed, I'd like to hear from them as well. It is good to know what the options are to get across the lakebed this time of year.

Yes, you can go around the south end of the "dry" lake. That track terminates right where Goler Wash and Wingate Road intersect. That comes from tracks I've downloaded from Advrider as well as other sources.

__________________
Cpt. Ron

"I don't know what you do, but I know what I do, and I don't do that." --Uncle Doug, R.I.P.
"Without the possibility of death, adventure is not possible"--Reinhold Messner

Yes, you can go around the south end of the "dry" lake. That track terminates right where Goler Wash and Wingate Road intersect. That comes from tracks I've downloaded from Advrider as well as other sources.

Thanks Ron. Have you ridden the route during this time of the year?

The reason I'm asking is because the "Mojave Trail" tracks route riders through a lake bed that is not passable when wet but is passable when dry.

The lakebed next to Wingate Road will not be passable if very wet or under water and some roads in death valley, next to lake beds, are not ridable when the lake has too much water in it.

The more I look into riding in Death Valley during December, January and February, the more I find there are many places you can't ride because of water, snow and ice. I'm finding I need to know more and more about the winter conditions for many of these areas so I don't do something stupid or put myself in a bad situation.

I appreciate all the information I have already received on this thread as it is extremely helpful.

Weather looks to be awesome and I've had this planned for two months, so I'm going anyway.

The only thing that appears odd (I watched a monster storm dump rain and snow out there on radar last night) is that Wildrose Canyon coming in is open, but Emigrant Pass is "closed." So...I guess I'll roll up Wildrose and see what happens coming in that way. I can always backtrack to Panamint Valley and then up to 190....

Be sure to if you see the red GS with overloaded Vario cases towing the cute DV first-timer girl on the green Ninja around out there this weekend.

Popey (R1150GS) and I (VStrom 650) made it thru Echo Pass a couple of years ago.

We lucked out in that there were two others at the big step when we got there. I think it was AZCacti (KTM 950) and MiseryGoat (smaller KTM). I believe the smaller KTM made it on its own power. The 3 big bikes all got assistance to get up the step. Would have be much harder but probably possible if we hadn't run into them. The step section is shorter and probably easier than trying to go up the rocks at Mengel Pass.

That said Popey and I both consider Echo Pass to be harder than Steele Pass and probably the hardest 1/2 day of riding we had ever done. There were no easy sections. Miles of soft gravel on the way in. And the other side was a 10 mile (?) teeth rattling ride down a rocky alluvial fan. We were totally wiped at the end.

Pic of the step section:

Its one ride that I don't think I'll be repeating on my VStrom.

Ha - thanks for reminder Joe!

My 1150 Adv has been over all the passes in DV multiple times, but won't be going over Echo again with me onboard! A work out, for sure, although the Gods must have been smiling as I didn't drop her!

Weather looks to be awesome and I've had this planned for two months, so I'm going anyway.

The only thing that appears odd (I watched a monster storm dump rain and snow out there on radar last night) is that Wildrose Canyon coming in is open, but Emigrant Pass is "closed." So...I guess I'll roll up Wildrose and see what happens coming in that way. I can always backtrack to Panamint Valley and then up to 190....

Be sure to if you see the red GS with overloaded Vario cases towing the cute DV first-timer girl on the green Ninja around out there this weekend.

That report is a bit confusing: "Racetrack road is closed because of flooding" but it also says, "Ubehebe Crater road is closed but open to through traffic to Race Track Road".

I just talked with Sandy at the DV visitor center and she says they got a lot of rain two days ago and the Race Track road is closed because of mud on that road from some flooding and there is construction at the Ubehebe Crater road which is blocking traffic.

She didn't know if the dirt road from Ubehebe Crater to Crankshaft junction is open or not but said I should call back in 1/2 hour and she would have the information.

It's looking like it would be best to wait until March to ride this area because there is more weather coming to DV in another week so it may take until March for everything to dry out and for much of the snow and ice to melt.

Sandy was very nice and said they have gotten much more rain and snow this winter than an average year. That means DV in March should be amazing.

If any of you do ride DV this month, keep posting pics of what the conditions are like.

I was told that if you drive around a "road closed" sign, expect to get fined.

It's looking like it would be best to wait until March to ride this area because there is more weather coming to DV in another week so it may take until March for everything to dry out and for much of the snow and ice to melt.